


Steadier Footing

by lavenderbees



Series: can't sleep [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Multi, Nostalgia, Short, Smoking, kinda random
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 09:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16783831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavenderbees/pseuds/lavenderbees
Summary: short thingy based on the song “Steadier Footing” by Death Cab for Cutie.





	Steadier Footing

“Do you think it will stay like this?” Harry asked, voice quiet in a strange gruffly way. A puff of smoke seeped out of his lips into a wayward curl. His unfocused eyes stared out upon the frozen lake, where a handful of newly graduated Hogwarts students laughed as they slid across the gleaming ice. They all looked so happy; Lips were open in unheard laughs, swallowed by the snow, and each move expressed their joy. The pale white lights of ‘ _Lumos_ ’ rested on the tips of most everyone’s wands.

Perhaps it was an unlikely group: a mismatched crowd of a bit of everyone and a bit of every house, all moving and shouting and being there together. It felt so to the teen, at least. To see such a sight when barely months ago all there had been was the blood and the chaos. It felt wrong to be here with all of them, and to watch them being happy.

A chill of wind blew across the clearing, and Harry shielded his cigarette with a frozen hand before deciding to just give up and stomp it out. His hand dropped to his side uselessly. The blonde next to him glanced his way for a long while, as if he was really thinking about the answer. It’s not as if he had to; They both knew it. Everyone did- the taller didn’t even know why he had asked such a trivial question.

“Of course not!” Draco scoffed, beginning his familiar, booming laugh. “What type of question is that?”

Even as he continued snickering, Harry did not, and the blonde eventually cooled off enough to the point where he could actually take him seriously. The stormy eyes were still latched onto the frosty ground, staring like he was trying to burn a hole into it.

“Hey,” Draco murmured, prodding his side roughly but without any fire to his voice. “Seriously. What is it?”

“I don’t know,” Harry sighed, and he was being truthful - he didn’t. His chest was tight and of course he knew why, but he didn’t know why he felt this way now. They had already come to terms with this; they had learned to love each other and learned to miss each other and learned that they would have to say goodbye soon, and they were fine with that.

“Then what? What’s your problem?”

Harry, annoyed by his aggressive question-asking, shook him away. “I don’t have a problem,” he grumbled, fiddling with another cigarette.

“That’s obviously a lie. You’ve been acting weird all night. Come on! This might be the last time!” He tried to pull the dark haired teen off of the bridge and down to the water, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Sod _off_!” Harry hissed, snatching his arm back. This time Draco didn’t snap back, only looked at him for a long time for the second occasion that night. His grey eyes flickered, studying Harry’s tight lips, his tense shoulders, before speaking again.

“Why are you being such a bitch?” He huffed. “Seriously? You’re spoiling the mood. Nobody wants to see you moping around.” It was true after all. Everyone had been keeping their distance so far, as if repelled by the aura that hung in the air near to him. Nobody wanted their vibes ruined, at least not on that night.

After no answer for a span of a few seconds, Draco sighed through his nose silently. It was obvious his aggressive approach would not work, as it never did on Harry. Slotting their hands together, he brought it to his lips in an attempt to elicit a response.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I want to get what you’re saying.”

And he really did; maybe he wouldn’t have a few months ago, and definitely not a few years ago, but now Harry’s was his and he was trying to be Harry’s. Extra effort was obviously needed. “Please?”

Harry threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. A minute passed by, and another, before he finally relented. He leaned his forehead against Draco’s chest, quite moodily. “I don’t want us to not be friends. It took so long to get here in the first place. I don’t-“ He stopped short, obviously still unhappy.

Draco looked down at him, his pitiful frown, and tried with all his might to stifle his laughs. He’d never been the most empathetic, though, and soon he was right back to square 1.

“Babe!” He exclaimed. “You can’t be serious, right?” From the way Harry looked up with a scathing glare it was obvious he was very very serious. “Bloody Malfoys,” was all he said under his breath.

Draco winced. “Ouch. We’re back to last names?”

Harry didn’t respond, only began to light his third cigarette of the night. Before he could Draco snatched the box from his hands and put it in his pocket. “Stop smoking those Muggle things. They’re bad for you.

“And back to what I was saying - of _course_ it won’t stay like this, but-“

“Gee, thanks.”

“Could you let me _finish_?” Draco asked, and when all the shorter did was nod down to the ground he continued. “It won’t stay like this, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be friends! Sure, some of us will be going in different paths - Pansy’s going to be a teacher, Blaise wants to be a Healer, you’re trying to be an Auror, Ron just wants a family and Hermione-“ Draco shivered slightly. “ God knows what all the others are doing. That sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?

That’s because it is. But just because it is doesn’t mean that we won’t still be friends. Do you really think none of us will remember this? Remember Hogwarts, remember Voldemort (Harry’s hands clenched tightly), remember that crazy battle? Remember our last year and how we bonded over it like the nutcases we are?” Draco held both his hands and stared into his eyes. “Remember me?”

Harry nodded slightly. “Of course I will,” he mumbled, and didn’t care that he sounded so choked up. “Of course I’ll remember this. Of course I’ll remember - us.” He breathed the last few words against Draco’s neck quietly, like it was a secret that was theirs. Breathed it because it _was_ theirs. “I could never forget.”

“Good,” Draco replied. “And neither will anyone else. Maybe, in a few years, we won't be as good of friends, but we’ll still be something, I think. Something important.” He squeezed Harry’s hand and brought their foreheads together.

“We’ll still be something important,” Harry repeated, and Draco didn’t like the pulling feeling in his stomach so he shut his eyes and pressed their lips together before he could say anything more.

When they pulled away, he nodded his head towards the frozen lake and yanked his arm in its direction. “Now stop moping. Let’s go.”

Harry smiled up at the taller with such fondness in his eyes that even the tears that slipped down his cheeks couldn’t wash it out. Draco didn’t notice.

**Author's Note:**

> i don’t know exactly what this is but it was calming to write and i love this song


End file.
